


talk to me (it's alright)

by amechanias



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Fluff, Future Fic, Happy Andrew Minyard, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:28:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26034196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amechanias/pseuds/amechanias
Summary: five years after andrew's and neil's last year at palmetto, and neil hears acoustic music coming from the living room.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 2
Kudos: 65





	talk to me (it's alright)

**Author's Note:**

> if anyone says it's ooc i'll stab 🔪 andrew and neil deserves to be happy and soft with each other, no matter what n*ra s*k*vic says.

It was two in the morning when Neil heard music coming from the living room.

It was soft, almost inaudible and if Neil wasn't always painfully aware of his surroundings, he would have missed it.

Slowly, he crawled out of bed. It was an habit now, to try and make no noises when waking up. Maybe people would catch him, maybe his mother would get angry at him for waking her up. No matter how far these memories were, no matter the fact they were only memories: everything was always more vivid in the dead of the night.

He stepped out of his room. Their room. The cold air of the apartment made him shiver, but it was nothing compared to what was standing in front of his eyes.

Andrew was on the couch, his blonde hair messy. He was wearing one of Neil's sweater that was way too big for him, and in his scarred hands was a ukelele, small, and used. He was absentmindedly playing a soft melody, looking at a picture in front of him.

It was the one picture Dan took of them, the one at the airport, with the matching jackets. She offered it to Andrew during her last day at Palmetto. Neil thought he threw it away.

And just like that, Andrew started singing.

"You don't have to be a hero to save the world  
It doesn't make you a narcissist to love yourself  
It feels like nothing is easy it'll never be  
That's alright, let it out, talk to me"

Neil never heard Andrew sing. He thought he did, once. At the same hour, in the car, after a game. But on the moment, he thought it was his imagination and fell asleep to the slight sound of his voice.

Now, he was wide awake, and Neil didn't even dared to breathe.

"You don't have to be a prodigy to be unique  
You don't have to know what to say or what to think  
You don't have to be anybody you can never be  
That's alright, let it out, talk to me"

Neil closed his eyes. Andrew's voice was something special. It was deep and soft, but it was intoxicating in a way he could hear it a thousand times and not get tired of it.

It was almost scary, the fact he almost memorized every single intonations of his voice. People who didn't know Andrew couldn't possibly differentiate them, but Neil knew how. He learned. With time he didn't know he had, with patience he thought he lost for so long. But here he was, in his living room, living a life, something Neil never truly had before the Foxes, before Andrew.

When he opened his eyes, Andrew was staring at him.

"Anxiety tossing turning in your sleep  
Even if you run away you still see them in your dreams  
It's so dark tonight, but you'll survive certainly  
It's alright, come inside, and talk to me"

Andrew always had beautiful eyes. They were dark brown, and mesmerizing in a way. Neil didn't look away, he didn't anymore. Andrew neither. So they stared at each other, every single word left unsaid floating in the air between them like a necessary addition to the melody.

"We can talk here on the floor  
On the phone, if you prefer  
I'll be here until you're okay  
Let your words release your pain  
You and I will share the weight  
Growing stronger day by day"

Neil thought about what woke him up. Nightmares, again. But also memories. Not quite flashbacks, but they hurt as much. Right now they seemed so far away, like a bad dream. A bad dream Andrew chased away by an inflection of his voice.

It was strange. But Neil didn't care.

"It's so dark outside tonight  
Build a fire warm and bright  
And the wind it howls and bites  
Bite it back with all your might"

Feelings were a strange and complex thing. When Neil looked back, he saw a violent encounter and violent emotions. He saw confliction and open hearts, and none of these made sense. But did their story even make sense? After all, they were both here, alive and well, healed and clumsily in love with each other. Four things they didn't expect, but four things they were.

Neil felt a tear running down his cheek. He didn't wipe it off.

"Anxiety tossing turning in your sleep  
Even if you run away you still see them in your dreams  
It's so dark tonight  
It looks nice, fall asleep  
It's alright, come inside  
And talk to me"

The melody stopped as Andrew's voice lingered on the last words. That's when Neil noticed it. His eyes were bright and filled with tears, and a small smile played on his lips.

And just like that, they were both crying, overwhelmed by unspoken words and feelings. Everything was always more vivid in the dead of the night.


End file.
